Story and Clark not tuned for 30 years!!

[Wayne M. Williams]

David:
Thanks for the advice.

Wayne Williams
Schroon Lake, NY
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Ilvedson" <ilvey at sbcglobal.net>
To: <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 23, 2006 2:52 PM
Subject: Re: Story and Clark not tuned for 30 years!!


> Sam,
>
> You need to realize the "American School of Piano Tuning" is giving you 
> just a taste of this work...and not a particularly good taste, I might 
> add...
> Time to expand your knowledge...go to www.ptg.org and start searching the 
> many sources of info available there.   Get the Journal on CDs, just to 
> name one source.
>
> David Ilvedson, RPT
> Pacifica, CA  94044
>
>
> ----- Original message ----------------------------------------
> From: "Samuel Choy" <sam at scpianoservice.com>
> To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org>
> Received: 7/23/2006 9:59:14 AM
> Subject: Re: Story and Clark not tuned for 30 years!!
>
>
>>Hi Andrew,
>
>>> Huh, why not?.  I've tuned century old uprights that the owners were
>>> absolutely certain hadn't been tuned in 70 years back up to pitch. 
>>> First
>>> pass to pitch.  Second pass with over-pull to keep pitch and third to 
>>> fine
>>> tune.  I did let each string down first to break rust bonds and then
>>> pulled it up.  Not a single broken string and it was rusty.  It had
>>> adequate pin tension a little on the low side.
>>>
>
>>The piano tuning curriculum I took, The American School of Piano Tuning,
>>recommended against it. From the replies I've received on this post, 
>>though,
>>it seems that is unnecessary if you take the proper care.
>>Sam Choy
>
>
>
>>---- Original Message ----- 
>>From: "Andrew and Rebeca Anderson" <anrebe at sbcglobal.net>
>>To: "Pianotech List" <pianotech at ptg.org>
>>Sent: Sunday, July 23, 2006 8:47 AM
>>Subject: Re: Story and Clark not tuned for 30 years!!
>
>
>>>
>>>>I didn't dare raise it to pitch because it had been so long since it was
>>>>tuned. I just tuned it to itself. It was the most horribly out of tune
>>>>piano I have tuned in my short career. When I was over, it still sounded
>>>>terrible to me, but the customer was thrilled. He said it was the best 
>>>>he
>>>>ever heard it sound (he's not a piano player). I was honest and didn't
>>>>pretend that I was happy with how it sounded. I told him that it would
>>>>take several tunings to make it sound good. He's having me back in six
>>>>months to give it another tuning.
>>>
>>> Huh, why not?.  I've tuned century old uprights that the owners were
>>> absolutely certain hadn't been tuned in 70 years back up to pitch. 
>>> First
>>> pass to pitch.  Second pass with over-pull to keep pitch and third to 
>>> fine
>>> tune.  I did let each string down first to break rust bonds and then
>>> pulled it up.  Not a single broken string and it was rusty.  It had
>>> adequate pin tension a little on the low side.
>>>
>>>>The pins seemed to twist before they moved, making the instrument very
>>>>hard to tune. When I moved my tuning hammer, the pitch would go up, then
>>>>go down when I released it. I ended up very carefully applying constant
>>>>pressure to the tuning hammer until I felt the tuning pin turn a little.
>>>>It worked for me, though it took a long time. As far as hammer technique
>>>>goes, was that something you would have done?
>>>
>>> I have brand-new Bostons here at the all Steinway School that twist a 
>>> lot
>>> of cycles before the foot budges.  Makes for a difficult session to get 
>>> a
>>> stable tuning.  What seems to speed things up is little jerks on the
>>> hammer.  Slowly pulling the pin up until it budges is a recipe for 
>>> broken
>>> stings.
>>>
>>> Andrew Anderson
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>